Pulsed lasers such as used in laser radar and industrial applications are limited in output pulse energy by the risk of damage to the internal optics. The output energy can be increased by increasing the mode volume by increasing the radius of curvature of the resonator mirrors. However, as the mirror radius is made longer the resonator becomes more susceptible to misalignment: the larger the mirror radius the greater is the shift of the optical axis for a given tilt misalignment of the mirrors or other optical elements of the resonator. Non-planar ring lasers promote enhanced optic axis stability but the light circulates within a closed path in two distinct directions, e.g., clockwise and counterclockwise, so that the output of such lasers is emitted in two beams which cannot be efficiently combined into a single beam to maximize the output energy for a given input energy. Power output can be enhanced using Q-switching but this adds significant complexity and expense to the laser.